A gut feeling told Kelsey McDonough she had to visit the Carson Animal Shelter on January 29.
Shelters as big as Carson’s had always been a fear for McDonough. She knows this animal shelter is always at max capacity, with 250 dogs looking for homes, noting that it is a stressful and disheartening place to see. However, she followed that gut feeling and went anyway.
“I walked through rows and rows of kennels, each dog barking louder than the last,” she told Newsweek via email. “And then came Zoey.”
Zoey was brought in by a good Samaritan who witnessed her get dumped off on a Los Angeles highway. One look at her huddled in the corner of her kennel made McDonough realize why she was there that day—she needed to adopt Zoey.
McDonough sat down in front of Zoey’s kennel and stayed there with her as the dog warmed up. Her tail was wagging, but Zoey was hesitant to get closer.
“When she finally did, I just wanted to cry,” she said. “I felt like that was the breakthrough and we were now always going to be soul-connected. She put her paw out for me and held my hand for so long, had her ears back, and looked at me like she was finally home.”
As soon as McDonough saw Zoey without the kennel in between them, she hugged the poor pup. It was an instant feeling that this was her dog. And Zoey’s striking similarity to her childhood dog confirmed to McDonough that her previous dog sent her to this shelter for a reason.
McDonough signed the paperwork and Zoey was “no longer a dog that got left behind.” She was adopted nine days after being brought into the shelter, a happy ending that many dogs do not get at this kill shelter.
Each year, 6.3 million pets enter U.S. shelters, at an average of 17,260 a day, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
The number of dogs and cats taken in by pet shelters hit 46,807 during January 2023, an increase of 1,744 compared with January 2022, 24Petwatch’s Shelter Watch Report found.
Around 920,000 surrendered animals are euthanized every year. Shelters are trying to minimize euthanasia rates by promoting adoption campaigns, spaying and neutering programs, and behavior rehabilitation.
As soon as they were off in the car to live together happily ever after, McDonough broke down in tears. In her February 1 TikTok video posted to the account @kelsmcdonough, she continued to reassure Zoey that she was free. She was safe. She was never going back there. And Zoey knew it too.
The sweet dog kept giving her forever owner kisses. She sat in the back seat with the biggest smile on her face.
@kelsmcdonough HAPPY ENDING**!!!!! she is so beautiful and i havent stopped crying!!! my uncle met her and said she reminded him of his soul dog that passed away years ago. she will be his best friend now. what an incredible day it is. welcome to your new life bubba, youre free and so loved!!!!! 🥹#adoptadog #rescue #adopt #adoption #rescuedogs #dogs #dog #dogsoftiktok #doglover #shelter #shelterdogs #fypシ #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #adopted #goodnews ♬ Solas X Interstellar – Gabriel Albuquerqüe
TikTok users were moved by her selfless act. The clip brought in over 496,500 views, 66,000 likes, and 883 comments as of Wednesday.
“This is so pure. You’re so pure. Thank you for freeing that baby,” wrote one.
Another added: “Beautiful. She is finally safe.”
“Again, I am so thankful I stepped through fear and went that day,” McDonough added. “What a miracle.”